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Reduced tolerance to simulated herbivory on clonal organs in alien genotypes: a multi-species experiment with native and introduced origins

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Abstract

Clonal growth may increase the likelihood for alien plants becoming invasive, as it is an efficient foraging and spatial exploration strategy. Here, we investigated the effect of artificial herbivory on organs of clonal growth and its potential to drive post-introduction evolutionary change. Based on the assumption that tolerance traits are costly and that clonal alien species may benefit from investing freed resources into growth, fecundity or nutrient acquisition, we tested the hypothesis of lower tolerance to herbivory on organs of clonal growth in alien plants. In a common-garden experiment we studied divergence in plants from native German and alien New Zealand populations of six species with different clonal growth forms. A nutrient treatment testing the plant’s acquisition abilities, was combined with artificial herbivory on clonal organs. We investigated origin-dependent differences in sexual reproduction, plant growth and the production of clonal organs. For aboveground and clonal organ biomass, alien plants showed lower tolerance to artificial herbivory on clonal organs than native plants. In the combined herbivory and nutrient treatment, alien plants of four species grew fewer clonal organs when compared to the nutrient treatment alone. Alien plants of the other two species produced more clonal organs, regardless of treatment. All species revealed significant differences in flower production between origins, with five of them producing more flowers on alien than on native plants. The results support the hypothesis that a release of herbivory on clonal organs has lead to subtle evolutionary changes in tolerance of alien plants and to a species-dependent increase in plant vigour, clonal growth and/or sexual reproduction that may enhance their invasive success.

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Acknowledgments

The manuscript profited from valuable comments by three unknown reviewers. This study was supported financially by the German state of Saxony-Anhalt (Landesgraduiertenförderung) as part of the Ph.D. project of M. B. We thank S. Rogahn, C. Rosche, M. Hock, A. Zeuner, S. Pflug, E. Bremer and C. Voigt for their help in setting up and maintenance of the experiment and harvesting the plants. Seed collection was possible due to a travel Grant for M.B. from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Mary Korver from Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research Institute is thanked for shipping assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computational Landscape Ecology, UFZ – Helmholtz Centre for Environment Research, Permoserstraße 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany

    Michael Beckmann

  2. Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany

    Michael Beckmann, Helge Bruelheide & Alexandra Erfmeier

  3. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5d, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Helge Bruelheide & Alexandra Erfmeier

  4. Institute for Ecosystem Research/Geobotany, Kiel University, Olshausenstr. 75, 24118, Kiel, Germany

    Alexandra Erfmeier

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  1. Michael Beckmann
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Correspondence to Michael Beckmann.

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Beckmann, M., Bruelheide, H. & Erfmeier, A. Reduced tolerance to simulated herbivory on clonal organs in alien genotypes: a multi-species experiment with native and introduced origins. Biol Invasions 18, 549–563 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-015-1027-8

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